Clyde River (New South Wales)

For other uses, see Clyde River.

Clyde River (Bhundoo)
"deep water "Yuin
Open intermediate tide dominated drowned valley estuary; or Perennial river
Clyde River flowing under the bridge at Batemans Bay
Name origin: River Clyde, Scotland (1821)
Country	Australia
State	New South Wales
Regions	South East Corner (IBRA), South Coast
Local government areas	Shoalhaven, Eurobodalla
Tributaries
- left	Claydons Creek, Pigeon House Creek, Boyne Creek, Cockwhy Creek
- right	Yadboro River, Crooked Creek (Clyde River)|Crooked Creek, Bimberamala River, Currowan Creek, Buckenbowra River
City	Batemans Bay
Source	Budawang Mountains, Great Dividing Range
- location	near Kangaroo Hill, within Budawang National Park
- elevation	597 m (1,959 ft)
Mouth	Tasman Sea, South Pacific Ocean
- location	Batemans Bay
Length	102 km (63 mi)
Depth	3 m (10 ft)
Basin	1,723 km2 (665 sq mi)
Area	17.5 km2 (7 sq mi)
National parks	Budawang, Clyde

The Clyde River (Aboriginal: Bhundoo) is an open intermediate tide dominated drowned valley estuary; or perennial river that flows into the Tasman Sea, located in the South Coast region of New South Wales, Australia.

Course and features

The Clyde River rises below Kangaroo Hill in the Budawang Range, part of the Great Dividing Range, within Budawang National Park, south of the locality of Sassafras, and flows generally southwards parallel to the east coast, joined by nine tributaries including the Bimberamala, Yadboro, and Buckenbowra rivers, before turning east and reaching its mouth of the Tasman Sea at Batemans Bay. The river descends 601 metres (1,972 ft) over its 102 kilometres (63 mi) course.

The lower reaches of the Clyde River form a substantial estuary up to 30 kilometres (19 mi) from its mouth which is navigable by small vessels to Nelligen, with a tidal ebb of up to 1.28 metres (4 ft 2 in). The coastal estuary covers a catchment area of 1,723 square kilometres (665 sq mi) and contains approximately 50,737 megalitres (1,791.8×10^⁶ cu ft) of water over an estimated surface area of 17.5 square kilometres (6.8 sq mi); and at an average depth of 3 metres (9.8 ft).

The river is one of the last major rivers in eastern Australia that has not been dammed.

In its upper reaches, the river forms within the Budawang National Park; while in its lower reaches, the river flows through the Clyde River National Park.

Water quality of the basin is very good. The upper catchment is heavily timbered (state forests and national parks); there is a small amount of logging in the Yadboro State Forest. There are no polluting industries in its catchment, nor any sewage outflows, and thus the river has a reputation for the cleanest, least polluted waters of any major river in eastern Australia.

Etymology

The river was known to Indigenous Australians as the Bhundo.

The river was named after the River Clyde in Glasgow, Scotland, by Lieutenant Robert Johnson who navigated the river aboard the cutter Snapper on 1 December 1821.

Gallery

• 

  Early morning mist on the Clyde River at Nelligen, 2008.

• 

  Clyde River, looking upstream from Batemans Bay towards the Budawang Range, 2009.

• 

  At Shallow Crossing, The River Road crosses the Clyde River at a concrete ford.

• 

  Wharf at Nelligen formerly used by the Illawarra Steam Navigation Company.

See also

• Budawang Range
• Rivers of New South Wales
• List of rivers of New South Wales (A-K)
• List of rivers of Australia